Variable-speed can-feed mechanism



1,581,200 H.- L. GUENTHER VARIABLE SPEEDCAN FEED MECHANI'SM Filed Dec;` 2l, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 20 ,1926.

April zo, 1926.

H. L. GUENTHER VARIABLE SPEED CAN FEED MECHANISM Filed Dec: 21 1921 2 sheets-sheet 2 To all whomv t con'm:

.2o vention to .provide a high speed seaming Patented Ape-20,4926.

UNITED SQTJrIS APATENT. Aortica.

mmm? I.. Gunnmnna, or Los ANGELEe, carni-omini.

'VARIABLE-SPEED cnn-FEED Ironman.:

Appn'cation mea recenter 21, i921. ser1a1m'. 523,825.

Be. it known that I, HENRY L. GUENTHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at LosAngeles, in .the county of Los .Angeles and State of California, have invented new ,and'usefulllmprovements in Variable-Speed Can- Feed Mechanism, of which the follow-` for this reason the machine must necessarily run comparatively slow.

- It is the princi al ob]ect of the present inmachine and to deliver cans andtheir caps thereto in such a manner as to prevent the spilling of thecontents ofthe cans and at the same time to insure that the cans and caps will be co-ncidently delivered tothe machine at a high speed ahd withoutprobability of spilling.

The resent invention contemplates the use of initial can feeding mechanism which will convey flow of can bodies tothe main can and capahfeed device where the cans will be engaged and willbe carried forward at a gradually increasing rate ofspeed' u ntil they have come into register with a can cap after which they will be delivered .at a continuous .4 machine.

and even rate of speed to the can seaming The invention is illustrated by way of exmple in the` accompanying drawing .in

' Fi `re1- is a-view inA plan showing the comp ete feeding mechanism.

F1 2 is an enlarged view m perspective showing one ofthe can top feed members.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in vertical section showing the complete feeding mechanism and the drive therefor.

. Refeifinmore particularly to thedawic' amtes the main frame of as ngSlO ing machine." .This frame is provided with a plurality ofvertically aligned bearings for receiving the various shafts cfa cap and can-. seam deviceiA A11 upper bearing frame 11 is' secured to the main frame`10 and-further provides bearings.A These include a feed disc siert' 1 2 which carries the 'cireiar feedaiscl 13. This disc receives a flow of'v cans and lbyl fr ictiona'l engagementA vtherewith delivers them into the machine. A .central hub 14 is formed above the'face of this disc, this hub being provided with a Vplurality of ieldel able lingers 15 which may consecutive y engage the cans and positively feed them as assisted by the frictionv of the' discs upon which they are sup orted.' Aside track 16 partially circumscri es the outer face of the disc while another track17 extends across the disc to a point nearthe hub and coinpletes'a guide-way for can bodies which are nto be'delivered to the machine. The trackways 16 and 17 provide a sinuous ,path of travel for the can bodies and delivers them toa feed spider 18. This spider,as has. been described in a copending application led concurrently herewith and entitled Can cap feed, is formed with* a plurality of circumferential recesses 19 into which'a can may 'partially seat. These recesses receive the can bodies and co-operate with a guide rail 20to car they can around the spider 18 andinto t e main turret s ider 2-1 of the double seaming machine. Th

plemented by an inner concentric guide rail 22 spaced therefrom. These two guide'rails are of sufficient distance apartto accommodate a can cap and to support it as it is bee guide rail 20 v isl concentric with the spider .18 vand is suping fed forwardly to the' double seeming machine.

'Referring more particularly to Fig. 3, it`

will be noted that 'the guide rails are inclinedtoward the machine. 4This will insure thatA the can cap will gradually be forcedon to the can, thus packing the contents of` the can and delivein the two in close relation to` each other w en they are receivedbythe main turret 21 of chine. f

It is the principal object of thisinvention the double seeming mafto pick the cans u while moving at a very slow rate of spee' on the feed dise 13 and to graduall increasethe rate of travel of the can until the are delivered to the first turret of the dou le seaming machine.

` This is brought about by a variable speed mechanism interposed between the disc 13 and the feed spider 19. This mechanism comprises a sprocket chain 24 which is led around sproc ets 25 and 26. One run of the .chain is caused to deviate froma direct path, tangent to the circumferences of the two sprockets.

-a plurality of feed lingers 28. These fingers of spider 18 and the can bdy,

'pair 'of parting knives 30 are` rovided to positvely engage the cans delivliared by the feed disc 13 and to carry them forward into register with the recesses 19 ofthe spiders 18.

The can body will then be carried forward beneath the can cap feeding mechanism 29. This feed mechanism has been previously described in my co-pendmg application entitled Can ca feeding mechanism and generally consi ered, comprises a cross-head 31. The cross-head alsocarries a pusher bar 32. The feed rails, as shown in Fig. 2, are formed with a ledge 33 which is interrupted b an Hinclined groove 34. The ledge norma ly holds the stack of cans 20 and as alternate reciprocation of the members 30 vtakes place the lower-most can cap will be cut out and passed down the throat of the groove 34 and allowed to then travel along the trackways 20 and 22.

In order to insure a positive feed for the can caps independent of the movement a plurality of radial swinging cap feed arms 35 are provided;` These arms are pivoted for vertical movement and are carried by the can feed spider 18. As more clearly shown in.

Fig. 3 of the drawing the arms comprise a sleeve swinging finger 36 having an upwardly extending end which' engages the lower-most can cap fed from the stack 37. The opposite ends of the feed members 35 are turned upwardly as indicated at 38. These members are tted vwith rollers 39 which continuously pass along an eccentric` groove 40`in a xed face cam 41. This groove is so designed as to cause the bell cranks 35 to oscillate from the extreme upper-most position as indicated at the right hand of position as indicated at the left hand of Fig. 3. This mechanism will reach the lower-most can cap and graduall feedV it down onto the can body without anger of 'tipping or binding due to the fact that the lever agrees in its movement with vthe downward travel of the can cap. It will, of

course, be understood thatthese` bell cr i'emberstravel with the spider 18 and-y reference `n, Fi nf the drawing it lwil be noted that t eea-In'4 ortions 36 extend directly in the' rear, of' t e" lvariousrecesses 1'9 .of the spider, thus insuring "that the cap `willl be carried down with a complementary mandy.- I* 'The driving mechanismof the present invention comprises a plurality of 'gears' formconnected by a i Fig. 3 to the extreme lower-mostwardly and downwar y andthe can and 7cap will thu ing trainsdrivenfroma suitable source of supply. The gear 424 is secured to the lower end of shaft43. .This shaft is pinned to the spider 18 and affords a driving ymovement therefor. a gear 44 carried by a shaft 45. The shaft 45 supports the sprocket 26 and drives same while anidler shaft 46'supports the Asprocket 25. Shaft 47 lis driven of gears and this shaft in 4turn operates a drivingcup 48 carrying a pawl member 49. The pawl is normally held out of engagement with a recess 50 in a pin L5l by means lof a trip lever 52. This lever, as more clearly shown in Fig. 1, is a part of a bell crank 54, the opposite end of said crank extending into the' normal path of travel of the cans Sand being swung by vthe presence of a can ithereagainst. The mechanism involved with this structure is more clearly shown in my co-pending application concerned with can ca feed mechanism.

In operation of 51e presentl invention, the variousv shafts are drivenby the suitable gear train and the feed disc 13'is caused toV -a-. this disc they will engaged by the fingers 15. happen that the 'cans have not been fed to occur between the fingers 15, these-fingers will be depressed and will thus prevent mutilation of the can, allowmg to' feed it forwardly. Here it will be delivered between the V and will then be engaged bythe fingers 28 of the variable sprocket chain 24@k The speed of the cans will be gradually accelerated until they reach a point where they come into register with the recesses 19 of the feed spider 18. a greater speed and will-be delivered forwardly to pass along the guide' rail '20. Simlutaneous with this movement the can will swing the bell crank 54 and o erate the shaft 51 thus causing reciprocation of the can cap crank and pitman rod 62. A can `cap will thus be cut from the bottom of the stack and fed through the throat '34 ofthe bars 33; and member 32 brings the cap for. wardly to be engaged by fingers 35 and 36. At this time the upwardly extending arm 36 occurring behind the recess carrying the can will engage the ca and carry it foralong the trackways 20 and 22 to a point posite the point at which the spider receives the can. .Here it will be received by the first turret of the double seamin machine s he carried forward `to complete the firstl movement of the seamin operation.

The gear 42 is in mesh with by a Suitable train the next finger to engage the can and guide rails` 16 and 17 Here they`will assumeA feed bars through rotation of I substantially opwhile I ave shown thep'referred 'fqr'l'n of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire' to secure by Letters Patent is: l. .In a can capping machine, a can feed device comprising aslowly traveling initial feed member, a rapid traveling final feed member and means interposed between said devices and having a member to transfer cans from one to the other of said devices and means for causing the rate of travel of the can engaging portion of the said member to -gradually accelerate during a portion of its travel.

2. In a can capping machine, a constantly rotating device for feeding cans, said device operating at a uniform speed of travel, a slow feed initial feeding device for receiving a flow of cans, traveling members' for positively and consecutively engaging the cans fed by said initial device and delivering them to the first named feed device and means `forcausing the rate of travel of the can engaging portions of the said members to adually accelerate during a portion of then' travel.

3. In a cancapping machine, means for feeding cans comprising a horizontally disposed rotary disk onto which a flow of cans is fed, a plurality of positive feed members for continuously carrying the cans from said disk, a second vcontinuously rotating feed device operating at a higher speed than that of the disk and to which the cans are carried by said positive feed members and means for causing the rate of travel of the can engaging .portions of the positive feed members to gradually accelerate during a portion, of their travel.

4. In a can capping machine, means for feeding cans comprlslng a horizontally disposed rotary disk -onto which allow of cans is fed, a plurality ofpositive feed members for continuously ca lng the cans from said disk, a second continuously rotating feed device operating at a higher speed than that of the disk vto whichA the cans are carried by the said positive feed members and means .for causing the rate of travel of the can engaging portions of the said members to accelerate during a portion of the travel of the same, said rate of travel increasing from that of the rate Aof travel of a can while carried b the disk to the rate of travel of the can w ile carried by thesecond feed means.

5. An accelerating can feed device comprisln a pair of sprockets, a chain travelling t erearound, a plurality of feed members carried by the chain, means for vdriving the sprockets at a constant rate of travel, and means for causing the rate of travel of outer engaging portions of the feed members to gradually accelerate during a portion of their travel.

46. A can cap feed device comprising an initial feed means operating at a slow constant rate of speed, a final feed means operating at a relatively high constant rate of speed, a cam trackway for conducting cans from the first to the .secondfeed means, a positively operating drive means for accelerating the rate of travel of .the cans along the trackway including spaced sprockets, a chain traveling therearound, a lurality of feed fingers carried by the cham and prjecting therefrom, means 'for driving thev sprockets at a constant -rate of travel, and means for causing the rate of'travel 'of the outer engaging portions of the feed fingers to gradual y accelerate during a portionA of then' travel.

HENRY L. GUENTHER: 

